Cranberry Isles School Newsletter
April 19, 2024
Dear Families and Friends of The Cranberry Isles School,
We had THE BEST week back from vacation. From school lunch, to songwriting, gardening, outdoor skills, Boatworks and swimming... it was action packed!
As the days do get warmer, please be sure to send your child to school with a full water bottle and plenty of snacks. We do make time in the afternoon for a snack break, and often times, everyone is very hungry - so please pack those extra snacks!
We are looking forward to our trip to Schoodic next week with our TLC Friends. For those not attending the trip to Schoodic, we will have school as usual Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I am working through transportation details to try to have a day trip to Schoodic on Tuesday for students who are not attending the overnight trip. I will be in touch shortly to confirm if this trip is possible - I think we are going to be able to make it work!
The Mailboat Schedule changes on Monday, May 6th, and we also change back to full day Fridays on Friday, May 10th, except for Friday, May 16th, which will be a half day for teacher professional development.
Here is our end of year schedule for Fridays:
Friday, May 3 - Early Release at 11:30
Friday, May 10 - Full Day, dismissal at 3:30
Friday, May 16 - Early Release at 11:30 (teacher workshop afternoon)
Friday, May 24- Full Day, dismissal at 3:30
Friday May 31 - Full Day, dismissal at 3:30
Friday, June 7 - Full Day, dismissal at 3:30
The last day of school this year, is Wednesday, June 12 - early release at 11:30.
Take good care,
Gloria
Monday, April 29
1:00-1:45 Grades K-2 Puppetry & Movement with Lelania
2:00 - 3:00 Grades 3-5 Puppetry & Movement with Lelania
Tuesday, April 30
1:00 TLC Book Groups
1:30 Library
Wednesday, May 1
1:00 Art with Ms. Kaitlyn
Thursday, May 2
Swim @ The MDI YMCA- leave on 11:30 boat
Friday, May 3
8:30-11:30 Boatworks
Swim Lessons @ The MDI YMCA ~ May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Franklin - Dark Eyed Junco
- The scientific name of the Dark Eyed Junco is Junco hyemalis.
- The Dark Eyed Junco is in the Family Passerellidae, and class Aves.
- The lifespan of a Dark Eyed Junco is 3-11 years.
- Dark eyed juncos are one of the most common birds in North America
- Dark Eyed Juncos mostly eat seeds and insects
Many Hands Make Light Work...
Here are some images of the side of our school before and after it was cleared for our new garden space. Garden tools were dusted off, worms were found, and we are excited to plant in our new space!
School Lunch
Many thanks to Chefs Isaiah, Lucy, Audrey and Ms. Kelly for planning, shopping and preparing our April school lunch. We enjoyed Audrey's secret recipe soup, burgers and hot dogs on the grill, and some delicious pudding for dessert. The lunch was made even more special because we were eating off the plates students made in art class with Ms. Kaitlyn.
One Sound... Song Writing with Nate The Great!
After school lunch, we were treated to an afternoon of song writing with Nate. Our school band, ONE SOUND, along with Ms. Kaitlyn created a song that I guarantee you will keep singing after you listen to it!
SWIM!
On Thursdays, we SWIM! The weather was beautiful as we headed out to the MDI YMCA for swim lessons on the 11:30 boat. We are so happy to enjoy 5 more weeks of swim lessons!
5th Grade Outdoor Skills Day at Camp Beech Cliff
Luciana and Elliott spent Friday at Camp Beech Cliff with all of the 5th graders from MDI and the outer islands! The day was focused on outdoor safety and included workshops on preparing for hikes, first aid, fire making, shelter building, map and compass work and water safety. It was a beautiful day, and a great way to connect with some future classmates!
We ended the day with a trip to the lumber yard to get supplies for the "Crankie" puppet theater Elliott is building!
TLC Spring Field Trip to Schoodic Institute ~May 6-7-8
We are so excited for our TLC Spring Field trip to Schoodic Institute May 6, 7 and 8th. The complete itinerary can be found here: TLC Spring Field Trip.
Printed copies of the following forms were sent home with your child before break. Please be sure to return the forms to school no later than WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24th.
For Parents, information to keep
For Parents, to complete
Vegetarian-Alternative Diets and Special Needs form
Any questions? You can reach out to Ken at kstevenson@islandinstitute.org or (207) 242-9353
*If your child does not attend the spring field trip, there will be school as usual on May 6, 7 and 8th. Please let us know as soon as possible if your child is not able to attend.
Grants Available for Student Special Activities
The Northeast Harbor Library makes Astor Special Opportunities Grants available to all full-time Mount Desert Elementary School and Town of Cranberry Isles School students. These grants support individual students pursuing activities and learning opportunities in the arts, natural and physical sciences, social sciences, and personal development programs.
The application deadline is May 15, 2024. Students may receive only one Astor award during their elementary school career.
The maximum amount awarded per student will be the lesser of (a) one half of the program cost or (b) $500. Grant checks are issued to institutions or teachers, not to the student applicants.
For further information and to download the application please follow this link on the NEH Library website at: http://nehlibrary.org/scholarship/astor-special-opportunities-grants.
If you have any questions, please contact Kristina Swanson via email at kswanson@nehlibrary.org, or by phone at 207-276-3333.